FOOTSUBISHI
In the early 20th century, urbanization rapidly grew due to an increase in industrialization around the world, and Viat, a city in St. Juan Island, was not left behind. There were a number of industries that came up in Viat, and this led to a drastic migration of people in the town in search of employment in the industries. These new workers needed shelter near their places of work, but this was not possible. The industrial area where majority of the industries were located did not have any form of accommodation, as the only accommodation that was fit for the workers based on cost, was a slum that was 1 Kilometer away called Kiby. Everything in the slum was available, ranging from water to electricity. However, the only problem was its location. Further, transport was the biggest issue given that the roads were in deplorable condition. Foot Khan and Sue Kim were students at the Viat Technical College located at the city’s industrial area, and coming from the outskirts of the town; they resided in Kiby slums for convenience, and cost sharing. One day, Foot Khan was extremely distressed by how he and Sue often arrived in school feeling tired, and dirty. For days, he had been thinking of how they could curb this. As such, he had been thinking of an invention that would be more like a car, but instead of tires, the car would use feet like the ones used by humans. Foot Khan, therefore, went on to tell Kim of his idea, but Kim thought the idea was absurd. Foot Khan did not lose hope; he went to a nearby garage, and spoke to a mechanic who coincidentally, was from his home village. He spoke to him about the idea, and he too thought it was ridiculous. However, the mechanic allowed him to use a car shell that had been at the garage for years. Foot Khan spent most of his time trying to modify the car shell even missed classes. When Kim and the mechanic realized the determination Foot Khan had, they got interested. Foot Khan explained his idea, and within a month, the invention was a reality. The car shell was now a brand new car by the name of Footsubishi. Instead of tires the car had four ‘legs’, but slightly larger than those of an adult human being, and made of metal. The government agencies responsible for vehicle registration were extremely delighted that the full registration of Footsubishi was free of charge. The car was like a van capable of carrying ten to fifteen passengers. It was ideal for the slum area given that the feet were each differently controlled, and capable of stretching outwardly; it was more or less ‘walking’ like a horse. Foot Khan and Kim practiced driving the van at a faster pace because it necessitated two drivers so as to effectively control each pair of feet. After thorough practice, Foot Khan and Foot introduced it in Kiby slums, and it immediately gained recognition. Due to demand, the van would even carry twenty to thirty passengers at a time especially during the rush hours. The demand and ease the vehicle had in maneuvering the slum area prompted the government to fund Foot, and Kim in a project meant to manufacture more Footsubishi’s. Foot Khan cut his studies short and came up with Footsu Motors, thanks to government, and donors. Footsubishi’s were later introduced in almost all slum areas and rural areas in St. Juan Island where the road network was miserable. Category:People